This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2001-079388, filed Mar. 19, 2001; and No. 2002-007794, filed Jan. 16, 2002, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color photographic material, specifically a color reversal photographic material, and more specifically to a silver halide color photographic material, which is good in hue discrimination of intermediate color, particularly from blue to purple colors and high in imaging power, and a method of forming a color reversal image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a color photographic material, if the improvement of saturation is limited to the primary colors, such an improvement can be realized by lessening the overlap of spectral sensitivity distribution of blue-, green- and red-lightsensitive emulsion layers, but in this case, the reproduction of intermediate colors is deteriorated (for example, see Satoru Honjou, xe2x80x9cCharacteristics and Technique of Color Reversal Filmxe2x80x9d, Journal of Japan Photography Academy, Vol. 48, p. 274 (1985)). Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. (hereinafter referred to as JP-A-) 2-272450, JP-A""s-2-272540 and 3-122636 disclose that a color photographic material having a silver halide emulsion layer which releases a development inhibitor in a black-and-white development and which thus does not substantially contribute to the formation of a coloring dye is effective in order to improve the saturation of color reproduction of a color reversal photographic material and the fidelity of hue including intermediate colors. However, according to these techniques, although the improvement of the saturation of the primary colors and the discrimination from blue to green are superior, there is a problem in the fidelity of the intermediate color. It is necessary to solve this problem.
As a technique for improving the color reproduction, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,663,271, 4,705,744 and 4,707,436, JP-A""s-62-160448 and 63-89850 disclose that a donor layer with an inter-image effect having a spectral sensitivity distribution different from those of blue-, green- and red-lightsensitive layers is arranged. Although these are superior inventions, there is almost no specific description for realizing this in the system of a color reversal photographic material. It has been found that even if the color reversal photographic material is fabricated by such configuration, the inter-image effect from the donor layer is not adequately expressed, and the coloring layer provided near the donor layer is influenced, resulting in that the colors of a subject cannot be adequately and faithfully reproduced.
Further, JP-A""s-2-272450, 2-272540, 3-122636 and 8-328212 disclose a method of providing a donor layer of an inter-image effect and a method of setting spectral sensitivity in a silver halide color photographic material. However, it has been found that since the inter-image effect from the donor layer is not adequately expressed even by these configurations and a color-sensitive coloring layer provided near the donor layer generates an unnecessary coloring and color impurities by the emulsion which the donor layer contains, the color of a subject cannot be adequately and faithfully reproduced.
JP-A""s-4-039653 and 4-039654 disclose techniques concerning the gradation design of a color reversal film for improving the flesh tone (corresponding to Macbeth color chart No. 2 light-skin) reproduction. However, these techniques are designed to optimize the color reproduction of only the flesh tone by xe2x80x9clowering the slope of magenta to yellow in a D-log E curvexe2x80x9d, which results in a serious disadvantage that the gray color tone is changed by the concentration. There is no description in these documents at all concerning a technique of remedying the disadvantage noted above. Further, these techniques are directed to the stabilization of the change of flesh tones differing in concentration. Nothing is taken into consideration concerning the improvement of discrimination of various intermediate colors in the above-mentioned documents.
Further, the above-mentioned conventional techniques are insufficient for discriminating the intermediate colors, in particular, from blue to purple colors.
Accordingly, it has been desired to develop a technique concerning a color photographic material, which is superior in hue discrimination of intermediate colors, particularly from blue to purple colors
It is an object of the present invention to provide a color photographic material, particularly, a color reversal photographic material, which provides an improved hue discrimination of intermediate colors, particularly, from blue to purple colors, and a method of forming a color reversal image.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provide a silver halide color photographic material comprising at least one blue-sensitive emulsion layer, at least one green-sensitive emulsion layer and at least one red-sensitive emulsion layer, on a support, which further includes at least one short-wavelength blue-sensitive emulsion layer (VL layer) that has a weight-averaged wavelength (xcexv) of spectral sensitivity distribution of 400 nmxe2x89xa6xcexvxe2x89xa6460 nm and that is substantially free of a yellow coupler.
In an embodiment, the average silver iodide content of the silver halide grains contained in the VL layer is 2 mol % or more and 39 mol % or less.
In an embodiment, the VL layer may contain a cyan coupler.
In an embodiment, a non-lightsensitive fine grain emulsion may be present in the VL layer or in an adjacent layer thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a color reversal image is provided which comprises subjecting a silver halide color photographic material according to the present invention to a black-and-white development, and then to a color development.